This place is nice. Akari thought as she looked around the large living room. Akari had arrived at the angels' manor. It was a huge two storied building far away from the bustle of the city. It turned out that some sort of barrier was set up to keep it hidden from the public's eye.

A big mansion with no other buildings in sight, it's almost like a horror movie setting. And as a fan of horror movies, she liked the place. 

"Here you go." Kira made a cup of tea for Akari.

"Thank you." She looked at the people present, or maybe angels would be the right term. She was sitting on a single sofa. Kira, Eiji and Yamato were sitting on another sofa while Van, Nagi and Shion were on another. Akari couldn't help smiling when she saw Shion hugging Nagi and the latter protesting.

Cute. They don't seem any different than human children.

"Let us start the discussion," declared Eiichi, once entering the room and taking a seat across from her.

.  . .  . . .  . 

"In short, what you told me is. . . . ," Akari started, "Before my birth, my soul was one of the loved souls of the king of heaven. He blessed those souls many times. That's what makes me a 'beloved soul'. And then, out of all those souls, I was chosen to have this 'healing' power. My soul and the holy power make me very special. And that's why the king of hell, who was sealed thousands of years ago, wants me in order to rule this world and heaven. The darkness and hatred inside people's hearts gives him strength and if he takes my soul and power, he will become undefeatable."

She took a moment to catch her breath. "In order to protect me, the seven of you have been sent to earth by the king. Your job is to protect me until the dark king is defeated..... That's the gist of it, right?"

"Yes," replied Kira with a nod.

All this makes me seem like a feeble, helpless female protagonist….I don't like it.

Something else didn't sit right with her. A frown took place in her features. "But, why was I chosen? If the king of heaven knew that the dark king would be after this power, why did he bestow it to me?" ….It makes me look like a sacrifice. 

 "Apparently, you were the most compatible with this strength," Nagi reasoned.

"Then, why would there be any need to bestow this power to someone if the king of hell is after it? Wouldn't it be better if no one had this special power?" She asked again.

"That…. is something only….. his majesty knows," answered Kira.

The woman decided to ask a question that had been sitting in her mind for the longest time. "Say…. I had this terrible headache last night. It felt like my head was being ripped apart. It went away after a few seconds though. However,when I looked outside, the whole city was shrouded by black shadows and mist…. It also happened tonight right before those beings attacked me."

"It must've been because of your powers. It alerted you of the dark energy," Eiji explained.

"Yeah," joined Yamato, "the black shadows that you saw were definitely the negative emotions of people's hearts. When the dark feelings increase, humans suffer more. And this is what gives the dark king strength."

Negative emotions....Is that the reason for the increasing casualties? She remembered when she heard about the car accident and fire breakout while returning home the previous night.

"That brings us to the next topic," Eiichi spoke up, bringing everyone's attention to him.

Eiichi looked at Akari. "We have to protect you. One of us will stay with you all the time. So,I suggest you stay in this manor from now on. This place is safer than your home and most of us will be here at all times."

"Wh-what?! Stay here !?" Akari yelped. 

"Is there a problem with that?" questioned Eiichi, raising a brow. 

"Of course! I have my work and life! You can't possibly expect me to stay here out of nowhere."

"True, she has her own things in life," Kira let out. "We have to make sure that the normal flow of her life is not obstructed."

"Yes. Even if living here would be much safer, it's a secluded place. She would feel caged," said Eiji. 

"Exactly," agreed the brunette female. 

"Then, the best option would be for one of us to always accompany her," suggested Van.

The bespectacled man pondered over it. "....Fine then. I'll be the one who will stay with her."

Hearing that,Eiji smiled. "If it's Nii-san who's with Tenshouin-san, then we don't have to worry about anything." The rest nodded in agreement.

"With Eii-chan protecting Akari-chan, we can rest in ease," grinned Van.

"Our leader is more than enough to destroy all those dark minions," Yamato stated like it was no big deal.

"Alone?Leader?" Akari gave a look of confusion. She remembered the angels taking care of those two dark shadows earlier. Sure, they seemed strong. But will he alone be enough to handle all of those?

"Eiichi is our leader. We will follow him no matter what obstacles there are," declared Shion.

"Eiichi is the archangel and leader of the army of the angels," Yamato told her.

"Archangel?Wow."

"Yes,Nii-san can take out the servants of darkness all on his own. He is the strongest angel in heaven. So, you don't have to be worried, Tenshouin-san," Eiji said with a bright smile. His love and admiration for his elder brother was conveyed through that smile.

Akari's eyes widened in surprise. "Strongest angel?!"

"What is there to be surprised about?" Eiichi inquired.

"W-well, I never thought the strongest angel would guard me...."

"The situation is grave. In order to protect humans, I have to keep you safe."

"Yeah..."

"I'm sure you have a lot more questions and confusion but please stay strong," encouraged the kind boy Eiji. 

"Thank you." She flashed him a smile. He was indeed adorable. 

"I say it's high time you return to your home," Eiichi said, standing up. "I'll fly you there."

Looking at her watch, she found out it was quite late.

"Ok." She also stood up. "Thank you all for saving me today." They gave her a nod of acknowledgment. 

When they reached outside the mansion, a white light surrounded Eiichi. Akari watched in amazement as white wings formed on his back. He turned around and held out his hand.

She held it and he lifted her in his arms before taking off to the sky.

.  . .  . . .  .

"Thank you for seeing me home," Akari thanked Eiichi once they landed on her balcony.

"You're welcome." He added, "I'll have a look around the nearby area to make sure whether it's currently safe or not. Don't leave your house."

"Okay." 

After Eiichi flew off, Akari sighed. It's been a hectic day.  She took her jacket off.All I need at the moment is a good long bath and sleep. Taking her pyjamas,she headed to her bathroom.

I'll listen to Quartet Night's song to relax. Or maybe listen to STARISH.... Why not both? Akari thought as she rubbed her hair while coming out of the bath. Then 'Golden Star' and 'Setsugetsuka' it is.

Once she stepped inside her living room,she froze when she saw Eiichi, standing in front of her bookshelf.

"E-Eiichi? What are you doing here?" Akari asked, surprised.

The said male turned around his head. "I'm simply checking it out."

"I can see that. . . My question is,what are you doing back in my house?"

"I finished investigating the area. It's safe at the moment."

"Oh ok- wait, that's not the point!" Akari looked at him after putting her towel in a nearby chair. "I thought you were heading back to the manor after looking around."

"Who said that? I'll be living here with you," said Eiichi, casually.

"H-huh?" The lady blinked. Once. Twice. Thrice. What he said finally dawned upon her.

"Wh-what did you say!? Y-you can't possibly stay with me."

"Why not?" He looked at her curiously. He had no idea why she would react that way.

"T-There are problems!"

"What problems?"

"I'm an independent grown-up woman. I can't live with a man I've met only yesterday."

Eiichi raised a brow. "So that's the problem?"

"Yes. I can't have you live with me."

"The dark minions have started attacking you earlier than expected. We can't let our guards down. Isn't that what you should be worried over now?"

"...I am worrying about that as well. But this is just as important." Akari didn't budge from her decision.

"You should think it over," suggested the male.

"Absolutely not. I'm not changing my choice."

Something about her strong gaze amused Eiichi. He smirked and started walking towards her. "Good…." he breathed out.

E-Eh? When Akari noticed him coming closer, she unconsciously took a step back. He didn't stop. So,she took another and another before her back bumped against the wall.

The woman's breath hitched in her throat when he blocked her escape by putting his hands on both sides of her. His gorgeous eyes peered at her from above. She stared at him in surprise, a gasp leaving her parted lips.

She stiffened. His imposing presence made her feel vulnerable. She wasn't that shorter than him. But, it wasn't his height that made her feel powerless. His intimidating and dominant aura was.

W-What's he...

Eiichi brought his face to her ear. "So, you are feeling insecure about living with a man,no? You're right. Men can be dangerous creatures sometimes."

His breath tickled her skin. She gulped at her sudden powerlessness. 

The man continued, "A man and woman living in the same home can only be doing one thing."

His face moved closer, his lips were literally a breath away from her pink ear. She widened her eyes. Her mind was going blank. This was the first time anyone had ever gotten this close to her and whispered in her ear like that.

N-No, I have to push him away….

It was evident from the tone of Eiichi's voice that he was smirking, "You understand what I'm saying, don't you? . . . I'm a man, too. Once I'm allured by you, I…."

Akari's heart was about to stop until she heard him chuckle. His chuckle soon turned into amused laughter. He pulled away from her and continued laughing in a special way.

Wh-What just happened….? Akari stood frozen in her spot as she watched Eiichi laugh, his eyes invisible because of the glinting of his glasses.

Once he stopped his laughter, the brunette male smirked at her, "Let me evaluate it very clearly that I am an angel and you are a human. I have not the tiniest bit of interest in you. You're nothing but a normal human to me."

Th-then all that... he was just teasing me!?!?

With her senses working perfectly now, she tried to punch him. However, he stepped away from her before she could land her fists on him.

Akari fumed red in anger and embarrassment. "How could you make fun of me like that?!"

"Judging from your vast collection of romantic books, I didn't expect you to dislike my treatment."

"R-Reality is different from fantasies!" Wait, he…. She glared at him, hard. "What kind of woman do you think I am?!"

Eiichi's smirk didn't leave as he ignored her question, "I'll prepare a special barrier around you for the time we won't be together." Walking past her, he made his way to her bedroom's balcony. "I'll be leaving then."

After opening the balcony door, he turned his head to look at her."For your information, I prefer cute and innocent women. You aren't my type, miss a grown-up woman."

"Jerk!" She gritted her teeth. "As if you're my type!" She glared at him harshly. "I don't care if you're the strongest angel or whatever! You're a big rude jerk!"

"I accept your sentiments." With a final grin, Eiichi flew away.

"He...." Akari was seething with rage while glaring at the empty space where the angel once stood. She shut the balcony door loudly.

Just what is this mess that I have fallen into!?

To Be Continued.